With 3-D glasses in hand, youth from local organizations (a personal request from Del Toro) and press listened attentively as the director himself introduced the film. Wearing an inconspicuous ensemble of black T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes, Del Toro shared his inspiration.

“I was born in 1964 and Godzilla was at its peak," the 48-year-old director said. "All the animated series that a child could see in Tokyo were in Mexican culture."

Pacific Rim, del Toro's eighth film, pays homage to the kaiju (huge Japanese monster) genre by creating an epic futuristic battle set in the near future between them and massive robots called Jaegers. Two pilots, whose minds are locked in a neural bridge, control said Jaegers.